Boxing fans fumed at one judge’s scorecard as Conor Benn saw his hand raised against Chris Eubank Jr. The sons of Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr reignited a family feud at a jam-packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening, with Benn securing a comfortable unanimous decision win over his long-time rival.
The ‘Destroyer’ was calm and composed over the course of 12 rounds, wearing his opponent down with a piston-like jab and impeccable movement, as Eubank Jr looked a sitting duck for the most part. Benn also closed out the fight with a pair of knockdowns in the final round, as he looked to put the rivalry between the two men to bed in exhilarating fashion. It wasn’t meant to be, however, with Benn forced to settle for a unanimous decision after going the distance with Eubank Jr for a second time.
The three ringside judges scored the contest 119-107, 118-108 and 116-110 in Benn’s favour, and while fight fans worldwide were quick to agree with the overall decision, some took issue with the latter scorecard in particular. Taking to social media after learning of the scoring, one person wrote: “116-110 has to be one of the worst scorecards ever posted,” highlighting the domination from Benn.
A second fan added: “Can’t believe Eubank was given four rounds by one judge,” while a third questioned: “Who gave Eubank those rounds?” failing to see where the 36-year-old got the better of Benn. Another vented: “The 116-110 judge had three out of the first five rounds to Eubank??? That has got to be a sackable offence surely.”
Meanwhile, a fifth fight fan complained: “Boxing judging needs a complete overhaul. Honestly. How can one judge have Benn beating Eubank by six rounds? Completely laughable. He won every round. You might be able to find one round for Eubank if you were being generous.”
It was an instant response from Benn, who suffered the first defeat of his professional career to Eubank Jr in April at the same venue. In that instance, Eubank Jr cruised to his own unanimous decision victory over his rival in a convincing display.
Clearly assessing and ironing out any errors on his part in the months that have followed on, Benn looked back to his best on Saturday evening – reaping the fruits of his labour by finally tasting victory over a member of the Eubank family, something his father was unable to do during his own career.
Nigel and Chris snr shared the ring twice during their own illustrious careers, with Eubank securing a TKO win over his opponent in November 1990 to strip him of his WBO middleweight title. The two ran it back three years later, in a bout which ended in a split draw after 12 gruelling rounds.
And Benn was quick to point out that he had got one over on his father during his post-fight interview. Speaking inside the ring, an elated Conor said: “How’s it feel? I got one on you, Nige. I got one on you, mate; hold that.
“Yeah, do you know what? I want to thank everyone who’s come out tonight. It’s been some journey, and I feel like this is the end of the Benn Eubank saga. Done and finished, it’s over. I know Chris has twins coming, and I’ve got my boy, but this ends here.”
Speaking about a potential third fight, meanwhile, a humble Eubank Jr said: “It’s 1-1, I’ve got to go away and deal with some of the things I’ve been dealing with over the past couple of months. And who knows?
“Maybe we’ll see something with me and him, maybe we won’t. But for right now, it’s all about this man – it’s his night. Congratulations.”